HollywoodNews.com: Whatever my issues with The Hunger Games in terms of its quality as a film, its continued box office might can only be a good thing. Considering the current trend of studios basically remaking/rebooting/rehashing every remotely popular property over the last thirty years, the fact that this NEW adaptation from a NEW novel is going to be among the top three grossing films of the year by a healthy margin can only be a good lesson. Anyway, The Hunger Games topped the box office for the third time in a row this weekend, dropping a perfectly reasonable 43% in weekend three, for a weekend haul of $33.5 million. This gives the film a massive $302 million in seventeen days, which is the second-largest such haul for a film outside of summer in history. That’s the fifth-biggest seventeen-day total in history, and 11 days ahead of Alice In Wonderland, the closest non-summer competitor and just two days behind Avatar. Forget Twilight comparisons, it’s already passed Eclipse, which is the highest-grossing entry in the series. And forget the majority of the Harry Potter series, as it’s $14 million away from surpassing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and it’s already tied with the $303 million 17-day total of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II with significantly larger second and third weekends to boot. At this point, it’s playing like Spider-Man 2 and the last Harry Potter film, with stronger weekends but lighter weekday grosses. The second Spidey pick ended its third weekend with $302 million and ended its domestic haul with $373 million, while Harry Potter 7.2 ended with $381 million. Factoring a rather busy April and the coming summer onslaught, that’s as good a place to predict as to where the first The Hunger Games ends up.
The top opener, one of two wide releases, was American Reunion. The unasked-for sequel is the fourth theatrical entry in the American Pie series but the eighth chapter counting the four direct-to-DVD films. This ‘most of you need a paycheck because none of you really broke out’ rehash opened to $21 million, which is almost identical to the $19 million debut this time last year of Scream 4. To be fair, at least some of the cast has worked relatively steadily since 1999, with Alyson Hannigan going from one […]

HollywoodNews.com: LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company, acquired worldwide distribution rights to the horror film THE CABIN IN THE WOODS from MGM and scheduled the film to be released on April 13, 2012, it was announced today jointly by Joe Drake, President of the Motion Picture Group, and Jason Constantine, President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions. The company will be distributing the film in North America and the UK, with Lionsgate’s international sales team handling overseas sales.
The film was co-written by Joss Whedon (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, FIREFLY, the upcoming Marvel film THE AVENGERS) and writer Drew Goddard (CLOVERFIELD, LOST, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER), and marks Goddard’s directorial debut. Whedon also produced the film, which he has described as “the horror movie to end all horror movies.” The film is wildly imaginative and intensely horrific, toying with every convention of its genre while at the same time raising their stakes exponentially.
THOR’s Chris Hemsworth stars as a young professional who visits a quaint cabin in the woods with a group of friends and ends up scratching the surface of something so massive and horrific that they can only begin to fathom it as time quickly runs out.
Richard Jenkins (LET ME IN), Bradley Whitford (THE WEST WING), Kristen Connolly (THE HAPPENING), Brian J. White (STOMP THE YARD), Amy Acker (ANGEL), Fran Kranz (DONNIE DARKO), and Jesse Williams (BROOKLYN’S FINEST) also star in the film.
“This is a movie that operates on many levels, and it works gloriously on every one of them,” said Joe Drake. “There is intense fan anticipation for this film, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to deliver what we’re sure will be a major zeitgeist movie and an instant horror classic- and on a Friday the 13th no less.”
Added Constantine, “Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard are two filmmakers who I have long admired, and it’s an honor and a delight to be in business with them. They’ve made an incredibly terrifying, mind-blowing movie that simultaneously celebrates and innovates the genre that they both know and love so well.”
Said Goddard, “Lionsgate’s passion and enthusiasm for our movie has been so overwhelming, I had to go back and make sure we didn’t accidentally screen The Godfather for them. Fortunately, we did not. We couldn’t be happier at our new home.”
Added Whedon, “I’m thrilled that Cabin has landed at […]

By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: David Boreanaz is an actor. Most know him from the hit FOX program “Bones,” though a smaller portion of us fans will always associate him with his role of Angel on the beloved “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and its spinoff program, “Angel.”
Boreanaz also is a hockey fan – a die-hard Philadelphia Flyers fan – and those who follow him on Twitter got a double dose of both his passions Monday night. That’s when, during a Flyers playoff game, Boreanaz tweeted that his hit show, “Bones,” would be back for another season.
“OT! Orange and Black craziness! Oh, Season 7 is GO for Bones,” he wrote.
So brief. So subtle. So very cool.
Now that we know “Bones” is returning, we wonder how the show will habndle co-star Emily Deschanel’s recent pregnancy. Showrunner Hart Hanson said to THR recently that they’d consider “a host of potential options, including a shorter season or a collection of episodes that don’t feature Deschanel.”
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By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Of all the “American Pie” veterans, Alyson Hannigan might be the hardest one to lure back for a sequel because, you know, she has a legitimate career.
The award-winning actress currently is cleaning up as an ensemble member of CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother,” so has no real demand to leap to the big screen. But while most may know her for “Mother” or even “Buffy,” Hannigan owes a bit of her success to the “American” franchise, so it makes sense that she’d return for a reunion and pay her respects.
Deadline’s saying Hannigan will join Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy and other “American Pie” alums for “American Reunion.”
But as they point out, Hannigan had some leverage as the story “revolves around her marriage and child with Jason Biggs’ character.”
So the “Pie” franchise is trying to grow up. Not too much, I’m sure, as they’re going to want to appeal to the core, crass audience. Maybe the filmmakers will town the Judd Apatow line? Anyway, I’m glad Hannigan’s on board. She’s a great talent, and the sequel’s instantly better with her involved.
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By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: She is to “Gossip Girl” what Heather Locklear was to “Melrose Place,” so it’s no surprise that Michelle Trachtenberg will be back on “Gossip Girl.” Her character, Georgina Sparks, simply makes the show more interesting. But now we have confirmation that the beautiful actress will be terrifying the Upper East Side on The CW’s prime-time soap opera.
“Yes, I will be back,” Trachtenberg told Access Hollywood during last weekend’s Spirit Awards.
“Georgina is trouble. That word has become synonymous. … There will definitely more ‘Gossip Girl’ in my future,” she continued.
Until then, Trachtenberg – whose credits include “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “EuroTrip” and Kevin Smith’s “Cop Out” – can be seen with Topher Grace in the upcoming ‘80s-influenced comedy “Take Me Home Tonight.”
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HollywoodNews.com: ‘Glee’ star Heather Morris was rumored to be a part of the new ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ movie, but it appears it is only a rumor at this time.
Whit Anderson, the screenwriter, admitted that they haven’t even thought about casting as the script isn’t even written, states Digital Spy (via The Hollywood Reporter). Warner Bros. will be handling the film production, including casting.
For now, it sounds like Morris will stick with her Glee gig and maybe she can get the movie role when the script is finally done.
Do you think Heather Morris would be good for this role?
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By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: The worst-kept secret in Hollywood has been confirmed!
Speaking at a Comic-Con panel, Joss Whedon confirmed to fans that he, indeed, is directing “The Avengers” for Marvel Studios.
“The thing I love about (The Avengers) is how completely counter-intuitive it is,” Whedon said, according to ComingSoon.net. “These people should not be in the same room, much less the same team. The very definition of family.”
Whedon will pick up a baton that’s currently being passed from Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”) to Kenneth Branagh (“Thor”) and Joe Johnston (“Captain America: The First Avenger”). Those films, which hit theaters in the summer of 2011, will lay the groundwork for Whedon’s ensemble adventure, currently scheduled for a May 4, 2012 release.
Whedon’s an interesting choice. He has geek cred, having helmed the beloved “Buffy” and “Firefly” television series. But his experience with feature films is limited to the “Firefly” movie, “Serenity.” Will he buckle under the pressure?
In the meantime, we’re still waiting to hear who will play The Hulk in Whedon’s “Avengers,” now that Edward Norton has been handed his walking papers.
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HollywoodNews.com: ‘Twilight’ star Robert Pattinson has been beaten by David Boreanaz and Brad Pitt to the Sexiest Screen Vampire title.
The 23-year-old actor plays heartthrob vampire Edward Cullen in the ‘Twilight’ Saga but came third in a new poll to find the Sexiest Screen Vampires, which was carried out by Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart campaign.
David Boreanaz, who plays the role of Angel in the Buffy and Angel TV series, came in first place while Brad Pitt and his interpretation of Louis Point du Lac in movie ‘Interview With The Vampire’ came in second place.
The poll was carried out by the charity to show that you can be sexy without a tan.
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HollywoodNews.com: When Comic-Con released its official schedule yesterday, one panel stood out among the hundreds of possibilities for visitors to this pop-culture wonderland–J.J. Abrams (creator of “LOST” and “Alias” and the director of “Star Trek” and its upcoming sequel) will team up with Joss Whedon (creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly” and director of the upcoming “Avengers” movie and “Cabin in the Woods”) for Entertainment Weekly’s Visionaries panel, similar to last year’s stunning panel combination of James Cameron and Peter Jackson.
In the panel, taking place on July 22 at 3:30PM PST, is moderated by EW’s own Jeff “Doc” Jensen, and is officially described on the Comic-Con website as:
A discussion with geek gods J. J. Abrams (Star Trek) and Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) on the future of pop culture. EW presents an in-depth conversation with these two creative geniuses about how technology, gaming, and global culture are reshaping how we tell and consume stories on television, film and the web. Plus: Is the superhero movie waning, or is it on the cusp of reinvention? And what do they think the pop culture universe will look like a decade from now? Moderated by Jeff “Doc” Jensen.
Both Abrams’ and Whedon’s often-overlapping rabid geek fanbases have reacted in a way that can only be described as ecstatic. The two have never worked together (at least not yet!), but Abrams has often pointed to Whedon as a chief inspiration.
Those not fortunate enough to witness this geek paradise of a panel firsthand can hope for detailed recaps on the internet in the days following the convention, which takes place in San Diego for four days beginning July 22, fresh off announcements that “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” will be making a panel appearance, while “Twilight” will not.
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By Whitney Milam
HollywoodNews.com: Eliza Dushku was most recently seen as Echo, the persona-shifting ‘doll’ kicking ass and taking names, as Eliza’s characters are wont to do, on Joss Whedon’s short-lived Fox series Dollhouse–but even today, she’s still best known for a different role in another, longer-lasting and much more popular cult classic Whedon series: that of Faith, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s dark-haired slayer frenemy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Dushku recently attended the Supanova Pop Culture Expo, where she talked about her years as Faith, and her character’s many complexities, with enduring appreciation. “What I loved about her was that even when she was completely in the dark side, completely out of her mind and killing people and torturing people, she was written in a way, and we played her in a way, that people still felt for her, people still pulled for her. It wasn’t just black and white, good and evil, it was this really complex grey area and people loved her in spite of everything she did.”
Like James Marsters’ peroxide blond British vampire Spike, Faith proved to be such a breakout character that the few episodes Dushku was originally signed for were quickly expanded to extend the entire third season of Buffy and for several more after that, ending with appearances on Buffy‘s spin-off series Angel as well. “I realized at a certain point how incredible that role was when I had young women coming up to me on the streets and writing me letters, telling me stories of how they had been abused, and when my character came on Buffy they confronted their abusers,” Dushku says of her character’s inspiring popularity. “It just empowered all these young women.”
Dushku turned down the chance for a Faith spin-off in order to do Tru Calling after Buffy‘s end.
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